Introduction

Education is one of the fundamental resources that is practiced and emphasized in every nation around the world. On an average school day you will find over 1 billion children taking classes all over the globe. Higher education is vital for social and economic prosperity as it heightens productivity and sparks creativity, thus the importance of focusing on an education from a young age.

As the third most populous country in the world, with 331.4 million people, the United States has “the second largest higher education system”, according to the Education System Profiles by World Education News and Reviews (Census Bureau, 2021). With the development of technology, homeschooling and online learning has become extremely popular and materials are easily accessible. It is important to study and connect the educational standards set by society and the government, various forms and opportunities of learning, and the different reasons for homeschooling to truly appreciate the United States’ educational System.

Education in the United States

As mentioned above, educational systems vary from country to country. To begin, the U.S. federal government does not directly administer education, rather, the power lies within the states. States are divided into districts which each individually possess their own rules and regulations for schooling. Accordingly, it is compulsory for children to attend school, however the age range differs per state. Schooling can be held through public institutions, private academies, or at-home learning.

What is Homeschooling?

What does “homeschooling” exactly mean? Homeschooling is the progressive shift from traditional public or private school learning environment to at-home teaching. The change began in the 1970’s alongside the educational reform movement. At-home learning can be considered the fastest-growing form of education in the United States. Data shows that the number of homeschooled students in the U.S. increased from 850,000 in 1999 to 1,690,000 in 2016 because of its growing popularity and its attractive qualities (IES, NCES, 2019).

To begin the process, parents must plan a curriculum, create a schedule, and keep up with changing school-district regulations. With the expansion of online learning, materials are easily accessible and studied in the home. Home-schooling allows for a more flexible and customized schedule, which accommodates the individual learning methods of each student.

Why Homeschool?

Learning from the comfort of your own home is a large pro to homeschooling. With guided and healthy social interactions, students thrive in this educational setting. There are countless reasons why parents or students themselves want to make the switch to homeschooling, including both empirical and ideological reasons.

When speaking of empirical reasons, it means reasons of greater efficiency and effectiveness. Parents are often dissatisfied with in-person academics and believe that their children learn less in traditional classroom settings. This could be due to distractions from classmates, social hierarchy, academic competition, etc. To illustrate how home learning is more effective, data has shown that homeschooled students score an average of 15 to 30 percentile points above public-school students on standardized tests (National Home Education Research Institute, Brian Ray, 2021).

On the other hand, ideological reasons revolve around social and political practices. Firstly, some parents want to keep their children from being exposed to drugs and alcohol and other improper conduct that happens in schools. Another ideological reason resonates with religion. Since 1802, the United States has separated the Church and the State, thus the prohibition of practicing religion in public schools. Therefore, homeschoolers can be atheists, christians, Mormons, etc. and can practice on their own religious schedules wherever they wish.

CONCLUSION

Education is always reforming and maturing alongside society and politics. All around the world there are various methods, ages, and styles of learning. The United States has taken a dive into homeschooling and continues to emphasize at-home learning with your family. People with all backgrounds can immerse into the at-home learning opportunity to satisfy their personal wants and needs. In the home, family cohesion, self-concept, and leadership skills are strengthened as well as academic ability.